Isaiah 61:1-9, Matthew 5:1-16

Stephen continues unpacking Matthew by looking at the Beatitudes, the “blessed” or fortunate ones.

Isaiah 42:1-9, Matthew 3:1-4:1

Stephen continues through Matthew and unpacks what “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” is about.

Supplied notes:

What lies within?

Humanity has a problem

The logic:

Jesus owns our problem

Where am I up to?

Hosea 11:1-9, Matthew 1:1-17

Stephen looks into the often-skipped over genealogies of Jesus to discover some deep truths about the identity of Jesus.

Supplied notes:

Jesus is the Son of David – The fulfillment of the Davidic kingship

Jesus is the Son of Abraham – The fulfillment of Israel

Jesus is the Son of God – God with us

What does my Jesus look like?

How do I write that on my mind and in my heart?

Romans 1:14-17, Romans 3:19-26

Stephen starts a new series on truths rediscovered during the Reformation, with ‘Grace Alone’, through the eyes of Martin Luther.

Habakkuk 3

Stephen completes the Habakkuk series which now turns to how Habakkuk draws strength in the midst of suffering from looking back at God’s past great wonders.

Supplied notes:

Habakkuk 1:12-2:20

Stephen George leads us through the next section of Habakkuk, where some questions about God’s sovereignty and the presence of evil arise.

Habakkuk 1:1-11

“How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?”

Have you ever asked God this question? It seems a brave, or maybe even a reckless thing to do, to ask an all-powerful God to explain himself. Yet at the beginning of Habbakuk, this is exactly the question that Habakkuk asks God. He sees evil all around him that seems to go unanswered and so he asks God, ‘Why?’. When we look at the state of our world, the injustices and natural disasters, don’t we share Habakkuk’s question? Or in our own experience of life as we suffer injustice or pain or loss don’t we call out for help and sometimes feel like God is not listening?

Habakkuk actually gets a reply from God but it’s not the answer he expected or hoped for. He discovers again that God’s way are not our ways. God’s action are unexpected and even disturbing and yet they are always right and good. God’s not fazed by Habakkuk’s question. Neither is he fazed by our question. In fact he welcomes it when, like Habaukkuk, we ask our hard question, all the while believing that he is good and faithful even when we are struggling to see it.

Supplied notes:

Philippians 2:1-11

Guest preacher Tim Patrick, Principal of the Bible College of South Australia, leads us through the importance of and details of Jesus’ incarnation – God becoming a person.

Supplied notes:

Matthew 28:16-20

Stephen finishes our Easter series by pondering what the world would be like without purpose.

Supplied notes:

Matthew 27:62-28:15

Paul Harrington, Senior Network Minister, continues the Easter series on imagining what the world would be like without the events of Easter ever occurring.

What if Jesus didn’t rise and death had won? What’s the relevance of Jesus’ death and resurrection?